The latest developments in wireless fidelity (WiFi) technologies have created the ability to create both fixed and ad hoc networks. Little attention has been given to low-cost, simple “bread crumb” technologies that operate without the necessity of networking.
It is well known that the bread crumb beacons have long been considered for firefighting applications. However, this type of beacon was not often seriously considered due to its bulky size. Moreover, there have always been concerns that a bread crumb beacon could drop from a network if burned or destroyed due to high temperatures. In network applications, loss of one beacon could disable the network rendering it unable to be useful to the firefighter.
Thus, the need exists for a less expensive, more reliable, bread crumb technology that can be used by firefighters to convey position and environmental information without the need to be networked.